Mesopotamia
The flooding of the rivers each spring was beneficial for farming because it spread this across the plain
Silt
the pyramid-shaped temple, often consisting of a series of stacked platforms
Ziggurat
Name two inventions made by the Sumerians.
Answers may vary
What is a hierarchy?
A system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or authority.
The world's first civilization, located in Mesopotamia
Sumer
What is a fertile crescent?
land that was good for crops to grow
Why did people settle and begin communities in this area?
Excellent land for growing crops
An independent state, complete with its own government and traditions, which included a city and its surrounding territory
City-state
What is one of Hammaurabi's laws?
Answers may vary
What were the earliest set of laws called?
The Code of Hammurabi
Who were believed to be the only people capable of communicating with the gods
Priests
Mesopotamia is known as the "Cradle of __________"
Civilization
What are the names of the two rivers Mesopotamia is between
Tigris and Euphrates
What types of people would be found in the highest level of the Sumerian social hierarchy?
Kings
How did Cyrus the Great grow his empire?
Allowing a policy of tolerance
The belief in more than one god
Polytheism
What is Mesopotamian writing called?
Cuneiform
What type of people would be found in the lowest level of a stratified society?
Slaves
Irrigation
What came before Mesopotamia?
Early Humans - hunter gatherers and farming
Bartering
Mesopotamia is Greek for:
Land between the Rivers
Priests
What was Cuneiform usually written on?
Clay or stone
Who did Mesopotamians believe had control over nature/natural disasters?